WASHINGTON — Michael Carter-Williams saw the box score and sent his friend congratulations.

Orlando Magic rookie Victor Oladipo posted 30 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds Friday in an overtime victory against the New York Knicks. It was one of the best statistical lines of his young career, and Carter Williams, a fellow rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers, recognized the achievement.

Carter-Williams couldn't be surprised, not after Oladipo's performance against his own team back on Dec. 3, when the two guards became the first rookies in NBA history to post triple-doubles in the same game.

Oladipo, Carter-Williams and Utah Jazz point guard Trey Burke have emerged in a three-horse rookie of the year race this season. With four of the top six 2013 NBA draft picks dealing with injuries from early on this season, this trio of guards has established itself thanks to opportunity and ability.

They showed camaraderie, competing in the Rising Stars Challenge and Skills Challenge (in which Burke and partner Damian Lillard beat Carter-Williams and Oladipo in the finals) together at All-Star Weekend in New Orleans this month. But in games, such as today's between the 76ers and Magic (7 p.m. ET), competitive fire consumes rookie kinship.

"We got a real good relationship. It's kind of hard to not have a good relationship with guys you're always around," Burke said. "But we're all competitors. On the court, it's kind of like we're not friends."

Michael Carter Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers wins USA TODAY Sports' rookie of the year award, drawing eight of 10 first-place votes for 42 points after holding first place most of the season. Here are his runners-up.
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Their situations are similar, which makes that competitive nature a bit more of a challenge. The 76ers (15-42) have the second-worst record in the NBA, and the Magic (17-41 entering Tuesday) are third.

The Jazz (20-36) are in an even deeper hole in the powerful Western Conference. Yet with Burke in the lineup, they have played pretty well, going 19-23 with him starting. The national player of the year last season for NCAA tournament runner-up Michigan is averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 assists a game, but he was out with a broken finger for the first 12 games of the season, when Utah went 1-11.

"It was tough because you're a part of something, and you want to win, and obviously coming out of college, I wasn't really experiencing a lot of losing," Burke said. "It's tough, especially when you're out. I had to figure out ways to get better off the court and better myself from the coaches' view."

The losing has one benefit: room for error. Burke said coaches allowing him to play through mistakes has been key in his development.

For Carter-Williams, the coaches don't have much of a choice. The 76ers' rebuilding continued last week at the trade deadline, when they moved two of their four best players in shooting guard Evan Turner (to the Indiana Pacers) and center Spencer Hawes (to the Cleveland Cavaliers). Though he shoots only 40.1% from the field, Carter-Williams won't have much choice the rest of the season, as he and forward Thaddeus Young are the only established scorers left.

Carter-Williams was drafted 11th, lower than Oladipo (second) and Burke (ninth). But he was thrown into a big role right away and led the Sixers' 3-0 start, posting 22 points, 12 assists, nine steals and seven rebounds in stunning season-opening victory against the defending champion Miami Heat.

"I didn't know really what to expect (entering the draft)," said Carter-Williams, who leads all rookies in averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals a game and has emerged as the clear-cut favorite for rookie of the year. "I was hoping I'd get this much playing time. I was hoping I'd be out there on the floor."

April 14, 2014: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Corey Brewer goes crowd surfing in the middle of a game against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors went on to win a 130-120 shootout, clinching the 6th seed in the playoffs.
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April 13, 2014: Paul George and his Indiana Pacers got a much-needed win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as his squad jousts with the Miami Heat for the top playoff spot in the East.
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March 18, 2014: On the day he was introduced as Knicks president, Phil Jackson joins former teammates Walt Frazier and Dick Barnett and Peter DeBusschere, son of Jackson teammate Dave.
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March 3, 2014: The night belonged to LeBron James, who put on a show for the South Beach crowd with a career-high and Heat-record 61 points in a 124-107 win over the Bobcats.
Robert Mayer, USA TODAY Sports

March 2, 2014: Joakim Noah (13) sends Raymond Felton's (2) shot back where it came from as the Bulls rolled to a 109-90 win over the Knicks in Chicago. Noah wracked up a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists.
Mike Dinovo, USA TODAY Sports

Feb 26, 2014: Dwight Howard (12) beat Blake Griffin (32) for an alley-oop slam here, but it wasn't enough for the Rockets, who fell 101-93 to the Clippers in a matchup of Western Conference contenders.
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Feb 24, 2014: Everyone knew he would take the shot, but the Knicks still couldn't stop Dirk Nowitzki (41), who hit the game-winning shot here at the buzzer to give the Mavericks a 110-108 win.
Anthony Gruppuso, USA TODAY Sports

Feb. 23, 2014: Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins (46) attempts a shot during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers. Collins became the first openly gay athlete to play in any of North America's four major professional sports.
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Feb. 5, 2014: Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds during the third quarter in the Kings' game against the Toronto Raptors.
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Jan. 26, 2014: It was another emotional night in Boston as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett returned for the first time since being traded to the Nets in July. Each only scored six points, but Brooklyn came away with a 85-79 win.
Mark L. Baer, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 25, 2014: Thunder star Kevin Durant had his game face on for a 103-91 win over the 76ers, finishing with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Durant also scored 30 or more for the 10th consecutive game.
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Jan. 24, 2014: Carmelo Anthony was all smiles after he delighted the home crowd and lit up Madison Square Garden with a franchise and arena-record 62 points in the Knicks' 125-96 win over the Bobcats.
Noah K. Murray, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 12, 2014: C.J. Miles (0) couldn't get to the bucket here against Jason Thompson (34), just as the Cavaliers had a tough time scoring against the Kings in a 124-80 loss. Sacramento's 44-point blowout was the biggest rout of the NBA season so far.
Kelley L. Cox, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 10, 2014: In an NBA first, the Heat and Nets wore jerseys with nicknames on the back. "The Truth" Paul Pierce (34) and the Nets got the better of "King James" LeBron James and the Heat in a 104-95 double-overtime win.
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Jan. 5, 2014: A frustrated Jose Calderon pleads his case with an official during the Mavericks' home loss to the Knicks. New York frustrated Dallas into a season low in points in a 92-80 win.
Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 4, 2014: Kevin Love, right, got the better of Kevin Durant in this collision of All-Stars, but Durant and the Thunder got the better of Love and the Timberwolves on the scoreboard in Oklahoma City's 115-111 win.
Jesse Johnson, USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 1, 2014: Monta Ellis (11) played some tough defense on John Wall (2) here as the Mavericks locked down on the Wizards in the fourth quarter of an 87-78 win in Washington.
Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 23, 2013: In the epitome of a size mismatch, the 7-0 Dirk Nowitzki shoots over the 6-3 Jeremy Lin during a Mavericks win over the Rockets. Nowtizki scored a game-high 31 points to move into 13th place on the all-time scoring list.
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Dec. 21, 2013: Damian Lillard does it all for the Portland Trail Blazers. The reigning Rookie of the Year hit the floor to corral a loose ball here and later hit the go-ahead three-pointer in a 110-107 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Steve Dykes, USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 19, 2013: No Big 3 was no problem for the Spurs. Even with Tim Duncan cheering from the bench and Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker also out, San Antonio edged Golden State on the road 104-102.
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Dec. 14, 2013: Washington point guard John Wall (2) wasn't happy with a call here or the Wizards' play in a 113-97 home loss to the Clippers. Wall finished with 24 points and 12 assists, but his Los Angeles counterpart Chris Paul answered with 38 points and 12 dimes.
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Dec. 11, 2013: It was an emotional night in Boston when former coach Doc Rivers returned to the TD Garden as a visitor. Rivers received a standing ovation during a video tribute to his nine years with the Celtics.
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Dec. 8, 2013: It was thumbs up all around in Laker Land when Kobe Bryant made his season debut eight months after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. Bryant's return was not enough, though, as Los Angeles lost to the Toronto Raptors.
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Dec. 6, 2013: Rockets guard James Harden (13) drives the ball on a fast break during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center in Houston.
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Dec. 5, 2013: Iman Shumpert (21) and Andray Blatche (0) shared just a few of the many heated words exchanged between the Knicks and Nets in the battle of New York. Shumpert and the Knicks routed Blatche and the Nets in the first of four meetings this season.
Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports

Nov. 23, 2013: Tempers flare during a third-quarter altercation between the Blazers and Warriors in Oakland. The fracas led to three ejections and six technical fouls during Portland's come-from-behind win.
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But both Carter-Williams and Burke left draft day expecting to take the reins as starting point guards, as the 76ers traded Jrue Holiday on draft night and the Jazz let Mo Williams leave in free agency. For Oladipo, the position and its responsibilities were new.

A shooting guard who couldn't shoot entering his junior season at Indiana, Oladipo showcased enough athleticism and ballhandling ability last season to convince the Magic he could play either guard spot. That vaulted him up draft boards, and Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn, a former NBA point guard himself, began the process of crafting his new combo guard in summer league.

And though Oladipo was averaging 4.0 turnovers to 3.5 assists a game entering December, Vaughn stuck with him as a sixth man and occasional starter.

The reward? Oladipo is averaging 5.1 assists and 2.4 turnovers a game in February (entering Monday), and he even has improved his three-point shooting. Moreover, he has been a stabilizing force as Magic's only player not to miss a game this season.

"I just like playing basketball; I just go out there and play," said Oladipo, averaging 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game. "Whatever position they want me to play, I go out there, and I play it. I'm slowly but surely learning."

The struggles of No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and injuries to several other high selections have marred an already-criticized rookie class. That the next wave, headlined by Duke's Jabari Parker and Kansas' Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, is so heavily anticipated only strengthens the critics.

But frontcourt rookies have struggled in recent years, with four of the past five rookie of the year winners holding lead guard duties, and Carter-Williams, Oladipo and Burke have maintained that standard.

That doesn't mean it's been easy. Point guard may be the deepest position in the NBA now. Defending rookie of the year Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers dropped 28 points and seven assists Friday against Burke, while fellow All-Star point guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors had 44 points in a January win against the Jazz and a triple-double early in the season against 76ers.

"They definitely go at me," Oladipo said of veterans. "But that's just going to keep making me better, so I hope they continue that."